Brasilia: A Brazilian radio journalist was shot and killed in his studio according to police, who said on Friday they suspected political motives for the murder.

Gleydson Carvalho, a journalist in the town of Camocim, in the northeastern state of Ceara, was shot five times Thursday at point blank range, according to authorities, who said the gunman fled the scene on a motor bike driven by an accomplice.

"They arrived at the radio door. They said they wanted to announce something. Someone opened the door for them. They said it was an attack and asked who was in the studio," police chief Hebert Silva told AFP.

"Immediately after that, the individual entered and executed Gleydson with three bullets to the head and two to the stomach," he said.

A sound engineer present at the time of the shooting was unharmed.

Security forces have identified a suspect and were searching the town and surrounding area for the gunman.

Police said they have arrested two people with ties to the main suspect in the case, and have recovered what they believe to be the murder weapon.

Several Brazilian media outlets have reported that Carvalho had received threats because of his work.

Brazil is the third most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists, following Mexico and Honduras, with 38 journalists killed between 2000 and 2014, according to the nonprofit group Reporters Without Borders.